Impact of COLA Increase for SNAP Recipients with Social Security Income

On January 1, 2013 the Social Security Administration (SSA) adjusts the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI), regular Social Security (SS) income and Social Security Disability Income (SSD) to reflect the increase in the cost of living (COLA). 

Hunger Solutions New York has a  new SNAP policy alert that highlights  the impact of this COLA adjustment for seniors and disabled people who receive SNAP benefits or who are currently NYSNIP recipients.  The alert includes information on the Medicare Part B premium and the newest NYSNIP matrix, which are also affected by the SSI COLA increase.  

To view the memo and attachments click here.

WORKING HARD? SNAP Can Work For You

SNAP Works for working families

Albany, New York—January 16, 2012—Hundreds of thousands of New York State families struggle to afford food even though they have a paying job. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the Food Stamp Program, can help hard working New Yorkers pay their grocery bill.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on characteristics of SNAP households in 2011, 391,000 or 25 percent of all New York households receiving SNAP earned a working income. SNAP Works for employed New Yorkers who are still struggling to afford food.

“Sometimes, a paying job is not enough to make ends meet. SNAP can be that added boost to get working families through the end of the month,” said Linda Bopp, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions New York.

SNAP Works for Michelle and Nick Patrino of Endicott, New York. Mr. Patrino, a construction worker by trade, and Mrs. Patrino, out of work on disability, struggle to feed themselves and their children during the winter months.  “We try and save enough money in the summer to pay the mortgage and other bills through the off-season, but food is expensive,” said Mrs. Patrino. “We use the benefits through the winter months and get off the program in the summer when my husband has a steady income. It has helped to get us through,” she said. 

The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) managed by Hunger Solutions New York, is available to assist all New Yorkers applying for SNAP benefits. “Sometimes working families do not know they might be eligible for benefits,” said David Reynolds, Director of Field Operations for NOEP. “Local NOEP Coordinators are available to provide confidential pre-screenings.”

“Some people get embarrassed by it and I don’t think they should be.  If you need the help you need the help. I’m not ashamed of it. It feeds my children,” proudly stated Mrs. Patrino.

For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, SNAP Works for their working lifestyle. A complement to their earned wages, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can help New Yorkers like the Patrino family.

To find a local NOEP provider or to learn more about SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs, visit www.FoodHelpNY.org.

Hunger Solutions New York is a statewide organization dedicated to alleviating hunger for all New Yorkers. For more information visit www.HungerSolutionsNY.org.

School Breakfast Reaching More Children in New York State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    Contact: Alisa Costa  518.436.8757 x122

School Breakfast Reaching More Children in New York State

Report Shows Brentwood Union Free School District Makes Largest Percent Increase in Participation of 57 School Districts Nationwide

Albany, NY—January 15, 2013—School year 2011-2012 showed progress in New York State’s effort to reach more low-income children with school breakfast. New York State schools served 43 low-income children breakfast for every 100 who received lunch during the 2011-2012 school year, according to a new national report released today. This is an increase from the previous school year when only 41out of 100 low-income students received breakfast each day. 

Such increases improve school attendance and student behavior, boost learning and test scores, and improve student health. 

The School Breakfast Scorecard, released annually by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), measures the reach of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) nationally and by state.  For the first time nationally, more than half (50.4 percent) of all low-income students who participated in school lunch also participated in school breakfast. Overall, more than 10.5 million children received a free or reduced-price breakfast each school day during the 2011-2012 school year, an increase of 738,869 children (7.5 percent) from the previous year.

“While we commend school districts across the state for making improvements, New York State as a whole must do a better job of making breakfast more accessible to students,” said Linda Bopp, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions New York. “Otherwise children are missing out on the valuable impact breakfast has on educational achievement and health.” 

Low participation means missed meals for hungry children and missed dollars for New York State. Increasing participation to 70 percent would lead to an additional 324,944 low-income children who eat breakfast each day, and New York State school districts would receive more than $79 million in additional child nutrition funding. 

Ensuring more students participate in the School Breakfast Program will likely be one of the goals of Governor Cuomo’s Statewide Anti-Hunger Task Force. The Task Force, announced in the Governor’s 2013 State of the State, will work to increase participation in federally-funded anti-hunger programs like school breakfast and “bring proven best  practices to our state to help those in need.”

Large School Districts Compared

A companion analysis by FRAC, School Breakfast: Making it Work in Large School Districts, examined school breakfast participation and policies in 57 school districts across the country, including three from New York State: Syracuse, Brentwood, and New York City.  

Several strategies employed by the three New York State districts contribute to increased participation rates. Chief among them is offering breakfast free of charge to all children, as well as moving breakfast service out of the cafeteria and into the classroom or using other service alternatives. The report found that school districts with the highest participation rates all have large-scale programs that allow students to eat breakfast in their classrooms at the beginning of the school day.  

Brentwood Union Free School District Sees Largest Increase in Participation

According to the FRAC report, the school district showing the greatest improvement in School Breakfast Program participation by low-income students over the past year was the Brentwood Union Free School District with a 64.9% increase. They implemented alternative service methods such as breakfast in the classroom last year.

 “Brentwood Union Free School District is a great example of what works well to reach more children with school breakfast,” said Bopp. “It is clear that serving breakfast in the classroom is the most successful way to increase participation, and we encourage more schools to move to this model. We are calling on every school district in New York State to examine its breakfast program and look at ways to reach even more children with nutritious meals.” 

• In Brentwood Union Free School District, 33.5 low-income children ate breakfast for every 100 who also ate lunch. While this is one of the lowest rates in the report, efforts have already increased participation by 65 percent over the prior school year.
• If Brentwood reached the goal of serving 70:100, it would serve an additional 3,570 children and gain an additional $915,913 in federal child nutrition funding. 
• In Syracuse City School District, 63.4 low-income children ate breakfast for every 100 who also ate lunch. They have been successful in implementing alternative service methods.
• If Syracuse reached the goal of serving 70:100, it would serve an additional 797 children and gain an additional $212,669 in federal child nutrition funding. 
• In New York City, 35.3 low-income children ate breakfast for every 100 who also ate lunch.
• If New York City reached the goal of serving 70:100, it would serve an additional 185,383 children and gain an additional $50,341,750 in federal child nutrition funding. 

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About the report: 
The full report, School Breakfast Scorecard, is available at www.frac.org. To measure the reach of the School Breakfast Program nationally and in the states, FRAC compares the number of schools and low-income children that participate in breakfast to those that participate in the National School Lunch Program. FRAC also sets a participation goal of reaching 70 children with breakfast for every 100 receiving lunch as a way to gauge state progress and the costs of under participation in the program. 

Hunger Solutions New York is a statewide organization dedicated to alleviating hunger for all New Yorkers. For more information visit www.HungerSolutionsNY.org.

Governor Cuomo’s 2013 State of the State Expands His Plan to Fight Hunger

Albany, NY—January 14, 2013—Governor Andrew Cuomo first laid out his goal of ending child hunger in his 2012 State of the State Address. He quickly expanded outreach efforts across the state and eliminated the finger imaging requirement for applicants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the Food Stamp Program. The Governor’s 2013 State of the State, “New York Rising,” lays out additional plans for ensuring more New Yorkers can access the nutritious food they need. 

“We agree with the Governor. It is unacceptable that any New Yorker goes to bed hungry. 
Governor Cuomo continues to show strategic leadership when it comes to understanding hunger and taking steps to alleviate it,” said Linda Phelan Bopp, Executive Director of Hunger Solutions New York. “One of the ways we can continue to decrease hunger is to maximize and better coordinate the anti-hunger resources that already exist.”

The negative impacts of hunger are well established. Without proper nutrition, children cannot grow, learn, and play.  Hunger affects short and long-term school achievement as well as child behavior. Older adults and people with disabilities need good nutrition to manage chronic illness or to remain active.

SNAP is essential to reduce hunger and contributes to economic recovery. It helps struggling New Yorkers afford food. More than $5 billion a year in SNAP food purchases also benefit local businesses and farmers in New York State. Further, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has shown that every federal SNAP dollar spent results in $1.85 of economic benefit.

Other effective ways to fight child hunger include increasing participation in federal nutrition assistance programs such as the School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Service Program. These federally-funded programs make nutritious food available for low-income children throughout the year.

Additionally, SNAP helps to lift New York families out of poverty. According to USDA, when counting SNAP as income, 34 percent of New York State’s SNAP households were lifted above the federal poverty line—more than any other state in the nation.

“We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo toward our common goal of alleviating hunger for all New Yorkers,” said Bopp. “We believe his plan lays the groundwork for achieving this goal.”

More than 6.5M Americans who receive SNAP/food stamps have no cash income

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more Americans than ever are surviving on SNAP/Food Stamps as their only source of income. The report, “Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households: Fiscal Year 2011,” showed that 6.5 million Americans received SNAP but had no other cash income in 2011 (14.8 percent of all SNAP recipients).

In New York State, 126,000 SNAP households reported no cash income, while another 331,000 households reported income of less than 50 percent of the federal poverty level. However, New York remains first in the nation of using SNAP to lift the highest percentage of these households above the federal poverty line (32 percent).

New Report Finds Food Stamp "Thrifty Food Plan" Allotments Seriously Inadequate

A report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), “Replacing the Thrifty Food Plan in Order to Provide Adequate Allotments for SNAP Beneficiaries,” explores the shortfalls of the Thrifty Food Plan, reviewing the extensive evidence that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is important to the health and well-being of the nation yet its benefits are built on a standard that is not adequate to meet need.

 Click here to read more.